UPDATE: EA responds: "While we have not announced sales for Dead Space 3, we are proud of the game and the franchise remains an important IP to EA."

"While we have not announced sales for Dead Space 3, we are proud of the game and the franchise remains an important IP to EA."

ORIGINAL STORY: EA has ceased development on Dead Space 4 and effectively axed the series following lower than anticipated sales of Dead Space 3, VideoGamer.com has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source familiar with the unannounced project told VideoGamer.com that Dead Space 4 had been in pre-production at Visceral Games, with a small team at Visceral Montreal allegedly tasked with developing prototypes and mock-ups for the title, and collaborating on ideas for the game's narrative.

However, the project was cancelled after Dead Space 3 failed to meet its sales targets, our source claims, telling us that EA executives visited Visceral Montreal last month to inform staff that the project had been terminated and announce details of the company's restructuring.

Visceral Montreal is rumoured to have closed following the restructuring.

Though EA had yet to announce Dead Space 4, Dead Space 3's cliffhanger ending suggested that a fourth game had been planned by the publisher.

As well as discussing Dead Space 4's alleged cancellation, our source also gave us further insight into Dead Space 3's development, telling us that the game was almost cancelled partway through its development, and saw continuous cuts made to its budget throughout production.

Weapon-specific ammo was allegedly switched for generic ammo late in development, too, as a method for shoehorning in the game's controversial micro-transactions.

EA also advised Visceral that Dead Space 3 needed to appeal to a wider audience than the series' previous two titles, our source added, and the studio was reportedly told to focus on action over horror in an effort to make the game feel more like BioWare's Mass Effect.

Our source's comments tally with those made previously by EA.

Last year, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau suggested that Dead Space 3 would need to sell around five million copies in order for the series to survive.

"In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise," Gibeau told CVG, "because ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space.

"Anything less than that and it becomes quite difficult financially given how expensive it is to make games and market them."

Though sales figures for the game have yet to be officially released, the game's first week sales in the UK were down 26.6 per cent on the game's predecessor Dead Space 2.

In the weeks following its release, Dead Space 3 has gradually slipped further down the charts. The game currently sits at no.8, placing behind last year's Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Far Cry 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

EA announced plans to restructure its Los Angeles and Montreal studios in February, stating that though "many employees are being retrained for new positions... a small number will be released".

A former Visceral Montreal employee claims to have told Game Informer that "the entire studio has been laid off".

EA told VideoGamer.com that it does not comment on rumour or speculation when contacted about Dead Space 4's alleged cancellation.

54 Comments

User Comments

Whether or not DS3 made enough money, I am personally glad they will most likely not be making another (at least for awhile) Dead Space game. Perhaps now what's left of Visceral will be able to focus on new ideas for games rather than reach back into the franchise bin.

I'll be getting this once it drops down in price. I didn't like the demo at first as it was too much like DS2 and none of the great tension, atmosphere like DS1. Once I played the demo again and went further because I did get bored with the demo roughly 10 minutes into it. I started to like it more.

Visceral have totally cocked up from the success of DS1. The constant overwhelming of enemies is going to make DS3 become a bore-fest. DS1 had that classic sci-fi horror film feel too it, which to me, made it a success in my eyes.

It reads to me like the game is boring due to the "laborious combat", it being a "dull slog" and "devoid of innovation and inspiration". The gun aspect was a small part of the review which doesn't actually state you have to craft weapons nor does it state it is optional which perhaps it should have done.

Those 8/9 out of ten and not boring to play comments are still simply your opinon. As with all things in life, some people agree, some people don't. Whether you class these people as real gamers or not, it still all comes down to personal taste. YOu might not understand why people don't enjoy it as much as you do but that's the nature of opinions.

Edit: for the record, I have no opinion of DS3 beyond the demo but what Clockpunk mentioned was how I felt about DS2 so I suspect I will not enjoy DS3 anywhere near as much as DS1.

The review I said was wrong was the Hitman here which was wrong as in the review it stated problems with the game that just were not there.
That's how I consider a review to be wrong anyway, subjective taste like in Dead Space 3 is different but you are telling people to buy this game or not.

Dead Space 3 is never in a million years boring to play (I have played some real poo like Aliens and Turok 1 etc) it not lazy by EA to give you the option to make your own guns if anything it's a great new feature and there are blueprints that you can use that can do the work for you if you really hate it that much.
It's a 8/9 out of 10 from what I have read elsewhere.

This makes me sad when the community will not finish the series. I mean.. Come on!!!!!! It's a franchise. It's like buying Assassins Creed 1 and 2, but kinda gave up on Brotherhood. You don't give up on franchises. I think they just didn't advertised it right..... I thought it was melting when I seen its trailer. Turns out to be a great game!

Heh, I think the problem for some of us (and our wallets) is that we DON'T give up on the franchises. Sometimes I find myself backlogged by two or three games in certain franchises, since I find myself buying a lot of new games just because they ARE new entries to a series that I have previously played. For example I still haven't finished Brotherhood here, but somehow have copies of Revelation and AC3 (oh and the Vita game). I'm getting slightly better at controlling my spending, but meh.

That's true. I never think about selling them but I suppose it's a back-up plan should the game be complete rubbish. Right then, my goal in the next few months is to be a game without reading a single review (excluding games like GTA V which is bound to be, at the very least, decent.)